Chapter 5 An Chuyu is Currently Single

"Director Jiang, I may not be able to free up time in the coming days," An Chuyu forced a smile, "I have an important engagement tomorrow, and on the 23rd, I have to fly to Xiamen for the Golden Rooster Awards ceremony."

Jiang GuangLing let out a sound of realization, suddenly remembering the upcoming Golden Rooster Awards: "If you hadn't mentioned it, I almost forgot, 'Winter Cicada' has been nominated for Best Picture, and you've been nominated for Best Actress. I wish you luck in advance for taking home the Best Actress award."

"Thank you, Director Jiang, then..."

"We'll prioritize your schedule, I can edit the other scenes first, no rush," Jiang GuangLing reassured her, "It actually gives you more time to mull over it."

An Chuyu sighed with relief, slumped back on her chair, and tossed her phone to the side.

Seeing her in low spirits, Shen Qiang asked with concern: "What did Director Jiang want? Is there a problem with the movie? It wrapped up a week ago, there shouldn't be any issues."

An Chuyu's eyes were half-closed, worry and gloom written all over her face: "Director Jiang is editing the film, and there's a scene that he just can't get the right feel for, so he wants me to go back for retakes."

It's good for a director to be meticulous, and everyone understands the principle of 'more haste, less speed', but An Chuyu was haunted by that scene and didn't want to go through the pain of repeated NGs (no good takes) again.

There was no choice, this was the career she loved. Since a problem had been identified, she would not allow it to just sit there; no matter how difficult, she would find a way to solve it.

Being called back for retakes after wrapping is common, not just in movies but television series as well. Shen Qiang couldn't understand why, with An Chuyu's dedication, she would be so troubled by it.

"Which scene needs retakes?"

An Chuyu's forehead twitched, she raised a hand to press it, and said helplessly, "The bed scene."

It was already awkward shooting it, and they had struggled to get a few satisfactory shots, only to find they couldn't be used when editing.

Shen Qiang couldn't help but snicker without any sympathy.

An Chuyu's acting had no faults, but she had a weakness, understandable to those outside the circle. Still, Jiang GuangLing, a veteran director with decades of experience, having been nominated for the Oscars twice and with numerous domestic awards under his belt, could spot any shortcomings in an actor's performance in his films. An Chuyu's first collaboration with him highlighted her lack of a certain presence in intimate scenes. Of course, she had no issues in other areas, and the slight imperfection didn't detract from the overall quality of the film.

Perhaps with other directors, this slight shortcoming wouldn't even be worth mentioning.

An Chuyu pulled her coat over her face: "Stop laughing, I feel like crying right now."

Shen Qiang patted her on the head, "Don't be downhearted. It's clear that Director Jiang thinks highly of you. Hitching a ride on his big boat, your journey ahead will be much smoother."

——

Xi Zheng returned to the country on the same day as An Chuyu, arriving in Beijing a few hours after her.

Thanks to An Chuyu, the collaboration with Madelon went smoothly. He took Xu Zhu back home first, leaving the rest of the work to be completed by others.

Xu Ye, who was accompanying him, noticed something interesting; Xi Zheng kept taking out his phone to check it every now and then, not looking at anything else but opening WeChat.

Xu Ye guessed he was waiting for a message from someone.

Who could it be? Xu Ye couldn't think of anyone.

Xi Zheng didn't go home; after the plane landed, he went straight to the office.

After dealing with some urgent affairs, Xi Zheng picked up his phone from the desk. The friend request hadn't been accepted, with no response either.

Someone gently knocked on the glass door of the office. Putting down his phone, with a barely perceptible gloom on his face, Xi Zheng said, "Come in."

The crisp sound of high heels approached as Tang Xiyue came in holding documents, her gaze sticking to Xi Zheng, earnest and longing. After he signed his name, she whispered invitingly, "Shall we dine together tonight? It's been so long since we last ate together. Last time my dad was here, we didn't get to talk properly."

Xi Zheng's brows tightened, and he felt an unwelcome fire burning in his chest; his words were unusually harsh: "Did your dad arrange for you to join the company just so you can talk about irrelevant things and do insignificant tasks?"

Tang Xiyue looked bewildered, not knowing what she did to provoke him. It was just an invitation to dinner. If he didn't want to, he could have just refused her like before. Why lash out at her with such words?

"What did I do wrong for you to be so harsh with me?" Tang Xiyue's eyes reddened as she stared straight at him.

Xi Zheng was simply exasperated, waving his hand dismissively, "Leave for now, I still have work to deal with."

Tang Xiyue wiped the corner of her eyes, feeling both angry and stifled, and yelled at him, "I don't believe you don't understand my feelings for you. I wouldn't be here if it weren't for you!"